AuthorTopic: Some really basic HowTos help to a real dummy... (Read 13514 times)

Hello again,Here i am, in Vector Linux. Installation process was quite "serious" but i managed. What really surprised me is the fact that after login to Linux i am steering for one hour at the monitor and can't manage to accomplish some most simple tasks. I had no idea i could be that dumb about using Linux.So here are those view very basic tasks that i got no idea how to accomplish:1. Browse second partition that has all my files on it, and the second HD (those are probably still NTFS file system)2. Mount my DVD ROM and Floppy Drive to be able to use'em3 Simply access some computer on local network or some shared folder on local network, also share a folder on my machine so other people could access files in it (some machines are still windows xp there)4. Change partition for "my docs" folder where user files will be stored5. Add more languages so i could type for example in Russian6. Lock station when going for 10 min. to have a cup of coffee.Forgive my dumbness, probably i am too attached to the way all these things are done in Windows, and i desperately need help with these tasks.Thanks a lot, and have a good weekend!

-- I moved this post from the HOWTO section which is not intended for questions. --

Any time you move to a new operating system, there will be a learning curve. Don't worry, it will come to you.

I assume you installed VL 5.9 Gold.

1. Did you select a mount point for your NTFS partition during the install? If not, no problem, it's easy to do using vasm.2. Have you tried the little drive icon on the lower panel, right side?3. Look for vlsmbmnt on the start menu4. Another job for vasm, but we need more information to steer you in the right direction5 and 6.. I'll let someone else get those.

5. To enable the X Cyrillic fonts please install a package called fontfix from the testing repository. It fixes a known bug with fonts being installed but disabled. To enable typing in Russian I have to ask a few questions:

--Do you have a Russian keyboard? Is that what you setup Vector Linux to use when you installed?--Are you using Xfce as your desktop? If not, what are you using?

6. Install and configure the xscreensaver package. It's in the repository.

5. To enable the X Cyrillic fonts please install a package called fontfix from the testing repository. It fixes a known bug with fonts being installed but disabled. To enable typing in Russian I have to ask a few questions:

--Do you have a Russian keyboard? Is that what you setup Vector Linux to use when you installed?--Are you using Xfce as your desktop? If not, what are you using?

Yes i do have Russian keys, but when i set Linux i did not want it to think of my keyboard as Russian, so i picked US layout, cause i am typing a lot in English.So far i am using default Xfce, but thinking to use OO very soon.

One more funny issue,I have successfully installed latest Skype package from online repository, but can't really see Skype appeared in apps list. So i got no clue where Skype is installed so i could us it.

One more funny issue,I have successfully installed latest Skype package from online repository, but can't really see Skype appeared in apps list. So i got no clue where Skype is installed so i could us it.

To find out you need to know what the executable for Skype is called. If it's skype, for example, and if it installs in the existing path on your system the command:

Quote

whereis skype

at the command line would tell you where it is. Of course, I'm making assumptions about the name and install location that might well be wrong. I don't use Skype. Another place to look is under /opt. A lot of third paryt commercial packages install into directories under /opt. If it's there you probably will need to add it's location to your PATH in .bashrc to be able to execute it at the command line.

Skype also does not have a .desktop file in /usr/share/applications. Desktop files in that directory determine what goes into the Xfce menu. You can create one by copying the .desktop file a similar application (another communications program) and editing it appropriately.

I realize that editing text configuration files may be a bit much for someone newly migrating from WIndows. The fault lies with the Skype for Linux developers as the same files are used by GNOME and fbpanel and similar files (different location) are used for KDE. A lot of proprietary apps ported from WIndows to Linux are done in a way that reveals a rather surprising lack of knowledge about Linux.

5. To enable the X Cyrillic fonts please install a package called fontfix from the testing repository. It fixes a known bug with fonts being installed but disabled. To enable typing in Russian I have to ask a few questions:

--Do you have a Russian keyboard? Is that what you setup Vector Linux to use when you installed?--Are you using Xfce as your desktop? If not, what are you using?

Yes i do have Russian keys, but when i set Linux i did not want it to think of my keyboard as Russian, so i picked US layout, cause i am typing a lot in English.So far i am using default Xfce, but thinking to use OO very soon.

Xfce is a desktop environment and OO is an office application. You're confusing very different things. You can use OO under any Linux desktop environment you like (Xfce, GNOME, KDE, etc...)

OK, this is one of the places where Vector Linux is MUCH less newcomer friendly than major distrinbutions. There is no configuration tool within the GUI to change the available keyboard layouts in X. You need to, as root, edit your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file. Make sure you make a copy before you do this as if this file gets messed up you won't have a GUI at all.

What follows controls how your keyboard is treated under X. I have an Israeli keyboard that I want to be able to use with both a US English (en_US) and Israeli Hebrew (il) layout. I need to specify the layouts available separated by a comma. You will need to determine what the correct layout code for your Russian keyboard is and add the right code into that line in the file the way I added il to mine. My line looks like this:

Quote

Option "XkbLayout" "en_US,il"

I honestly don't know how many styles of Russian keyboard there are or what the codes are, sorry. Don't assume "ru" will work. I have a Toshiba Libretto with a Japanese/English keyboard and the correct code for it is jp106.

Once you have that done you'll need to restart X. If you boot directly into the GUI the easiest way to do this is to restart your computer. Then log in and add the keyboard switcher to your Xfce panel. You do this by right clicking on the Xfce panel (on the bottom of your screen by default), clicking "Add New Item" in the popup menu, and then choosing "Keyboard Layout Switcher". Once you have that installed you'll be able to switch back and forth between the US and Russian keyboard layouts with a single mouse click.

I know this may seem complex but with Vector Linux (and most Slackware derivatives) you have to learn to get under the hood and manually configure things if you want to do anything really non-standard. This is why I still don't recommend Vector to newcomers to Linux. I may take some heat for saying that but I do Linux for a living and it's how I really see things.

6. Install and configure the xscreensaver package. It's in the repository.

HTH

Well, its actually already installed, but i can't really find information on how to lock station by using a key combination. If you know in windows its windows logo+L key. Is there such in Linux?Thanks.

One more funny issue,I have successfully installed latest Skype package from online repository, but can't really see Skype appeared in apps list. So i got no clue where Skype is installed so i could us it.

To find out you need to know what the executable for Skype is called. If it's skype, for example, and if it installs in the existing path on your system the command:

Quote

whereis skype

at the command line would tell you where it is. Of course, I'm making assumptions about the name and install location that might well be wrong. I don't use Skype. Another place to look is under /opt. A lot of third paryt commercial packages install into directories under /opt. If it's there you probably will need to add it's location to your PATH in .bashrc to be able to execute it at the command line.

Skype also does not have a .desktop file in /usr/share/applications. Desktop files in that directory determine what goes into the Xfce menu. You can create one by copying the .desktop file a similar application (another communications program) and editing it appropriately.

I realize that editing text configuration files may be a bit much for someone newly migrating from WIndows. The fault lies with the Skype for Linux developers as the same files are used by GNOME and fbpanel and similar files (different location) are used for KDE. A lot of proprietary apps ported from WIndows to Linux are done in a way that reveals a rather surprising lack of knowledge about Linux.

I have added language switch option to panel, and of course there is only English language.I have also checked xorg.conf file, and it doesn't have content you talk about. Some of it is available in xorg.conf-vesa though.

So, now i got no idea how to make my Linux type in Russian and Romanian. That's two languages which are a must for this workspace.

This is one area where using KDE makes life much easier. It has a built-in keyboard switcher with hotkeys. You can configure your screen saver by right-clicking on the desktop. I installed Skype with gslapt, it showed up in the menu and works fine. If you have a P4 class computer, VL SOHO is a great choice.

This is one area where using KDE makes life much easier. It has a built-in keyboard switcher with hotkeys. You can configure your screen saver by right-clicking on the desktop. I installed Skype with gslapt, it showed up in the menu and works fine. If you have a P4 class computer, VL SOHO is a great choice.

Try opening a terminal and type skype then hit enter.

Unfortunately i am on slow machine so can't use performance requiring solutions.

I guess i took it too fast and overloaded with questions.That's why so far none of questions is solved, and office users yet can't use their machine for anything beside browsing the internet.I think i will try again with one question at time.

Here is the first question:I have second hdd which is on ntfs fs. Also i have cd rom, dvd rom and floppy drives.How can i make sure all these devices automatically mount during system start?I would like to create icons on desktop for these devices, to browse them when i need.Would anyone help me "bring" second hdd and optical drives to desktop?I mean, i don't even know how to access the hdd to have my hand on all my data important for continuing my job.Thank you.